Barrow-type exercising device



Nov. 7, 1961 J. R. TAYLOR BARROW-TYPE EXERCISING DEVICE Filed April 8, 1960 INVEN TOR, John R. Taylor M W .h-hdlddd Fatented Nov. 7, 1981 rainee 3,0tl7,699 BARRGW-TYPE EXERCISENG DEVICE John R. Taylor, 221 E. Carolina Ave, Memphis, Tenn. Filed Apr. 8, 1969, Ser. No. 203% 8 (Ilaims. (Cl. 272-81) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in exercising devices particularly adapted for utilization by athletes such as football players and the like, and it comprises an improvement upon the device as shown and described in co-pending application Serial Number 3,915, filed February 21, 1960, now US. Patent 2,973,203.

The present invention is intended to provide a barrowtype device having front and rear wheels in foreand-aft alinement, from which is supported a container, within which container is carried a gravity-shiftable weight medium. The device thus differs from the invention of the above mentioned application for patent in that the shift of the weight medium is internally contained and housed instead of its external arrangement as in the prior application.

It is highly desirable in the strengthening of athletes, particularly for sports such as football, that they lift and push weighted objects in a manner so as to fully exercise their muscles to develop their legs, arms and shoulders, as well as their bodies otherwise. The present exercising device is highly useful in field drills of the body strengthening nature and is adaptable for usage with persons other than football players.

The principal object of the present invention is to pro vide a new and novel exercising device of a barrow-type by which an athlete or other person may build his muscular structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an exercising device which comprises a hollow container body to which a pair of rearwardly extending handles are fixed, and from which depend a pair of wheels respectively disposed at the front and rear of the device, and in foreand-aft alinement, and by which the device may be supported for movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the container body is charged with a gravity-shiftable weight medium.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the weight medium is a fluid.

A further object of the invention is to provide the interior of the container body with a series of anti-sloshing bafi'les to prevent undue surging of the weight medium during shift thereof; and

A further object of the invention is generally to improve the design, construction and efliciency of exercising devices.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with parts broken away for purposes of illustration and shown in a rearwardly tilted position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, with the device shown in a forwardly tilted position.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the present device comprises a hollow container body 11 which is preferably of substantially cylindrical tank-like conformation, and which in the preferred embodiment is provided with a filler opening closed as by a plug 13.

Extending forwardly and downwardly from the forward end of body 11 is a fender 15 by which a wheel 17 is rotatably supported as by an axle 19. It will be seen that front wheel 17 is thus supported forwardly of body 11 and below the lower edge thereof for ground contacting purposes.

Adjacent the rear end of body 11 a pair of wheel sup porting brackets 21 are fixed to body 11, converging inwardly below the body and supporting a rear Wheel 23 as upon a rear axle 25. it will be observed that the front and rear wheels 17, 23 are disposed in fore-and-aft alinernent, and that the axles 19, 25 are disposed on parallel axes so that the wheels, when both are in contact with the ground G, support body ll in a substantially horizontal position parallel with ground G.

Rigidly fixed to body 11 adjacent support brackets 21, and extending rearwardly therefrom, are a pair of handlemouuting sockets 27 adapted preferably to removably receive and have fixed therein the forward ends of handles 29. It is preferred that the handles 23 be locked into the sockets 27 by detachable bolts or pins 31. Handles 29 extend rearwardly beyond the rear end of body ill, and as best shown in FIG. 1, flare outwardly therefrom in order to provide a convenient area for management of the device by the user.

At the rear end of body if, a rearwardly bulging domed head 33 is provided, the domed head 33 being disposed between handles 29 and providing a spherical section surface for protecting the user or" the device in the event of an untoward accident. Within body ll, and particularly when the weight medium (to be hereinafter mentioned) is a liquid medium, it is preferred that a series of semi-circular bafiies 35 be provided, with the baffles being rigidly fixed to the lower portion of body if and extending upwardly perpendicularly thereto. Preferably, also, for the free how of a liquid weight medium it is preferred that each of the battles 35 be provided with flow apertures 37.

In the present illustrations of the invention a fluid weight medium of liquid character is provided. This is presently illustrated by the water content 39.. It will be understood that other liquid fluid materials may be utilized if desired, and, in addition, that other fiuid materials may be utilized, among which are many solid materials such as finely comminuted materials of the charactor of sand and the like. In the event that solid fluid materials, which will flow under the influence of gravity, are utilized, the preferred embodiment will be modified by the omission of the baffles, and it will further be understood that in some circumstances it may be desirable to provide a gravity-shiftable weight element within the container, such as a self-contained weight of the nature of a ball or the like, which may move from end to end of the container under the influence of gravity.

In the use of the device, the interior of body 11 is charged with the selected weight medium. If the weight medium is a liquid, such as water, oil or other fluid flow liquids, the baffles 35 preferably should be employed in order to prevent undue surging or sloshing of the liquid weight medium. Preferably the body 11 is charged with a desired amount of the weight medium, which in the preferred arrangement is less than the full capacity of the body 11 in order to provide for movement of the weight medium under the influence of gravity in varying tilted positions of the exercising device. if the fluid Weight medium is of a solid nature, such as finely comminuted material of the character of sand or the like, the baffles preferably should be omitted in order to eliminate obstruction to the gravity flow of such material, and similarly, if the weight medium is a self-contained weight within the body, such as a ball or the like, the battles should be omitted.

After the device has been charged with a suitable anemone to amount of the weight medium, it may be put to use by the athlete or other person under training or conditioning. The device will normally be elevated to a position approximating'that shown in FIG. 3 for rapid carriage on the training held, in which instance the level L of the weight medium will be so disposed by gravity that the majority of the weight of the weight medium within body ll will be disposed forwardly toward the forward end of body 11.

As the device is moved forwardly along the training field it is contemplated that various obstacles, such as the obstacle 0, will be encountered. it will thereupon be necessary for the user of the device to push downwardly on the rear end of the device until the rear wheel 23 has come into contact with ground G, and to continue pushing the same so as to elevate the forward end of body ll to lift the front wheel 17 above the level of obstacle O.

In such downward shifting of the device, and the elevating of the forward end, it will be seen that the user of the device is required to act against the force of the fluid weight disposed within body it which has been previously disposed toward the forward end thereof, and is, in effect, required to elevate the same by his pushing action. As the user does so he elevates front wheel 17 above the level of the top of obstacle O and at the same time effects a gravity shift of the weight medium so that it tends to assume the level illustrated in PEG. 2.

When a further obstacle is encountered, as for example when rear wheel 23 is advanced toward the obstacle O which has been cleared by the front wheel, it then be comes necessary for the user of the device to pull upwardly on handles 2% so as to elevate the rear end of the device, lowering the front wheel into ground contact and elevating rear wheel 23 to a position where it will clear obstacle O. in this movement it Will be seen that the user is required in this upward lifting to lift the major portion of the weight medium at the initial part of the upward movement, and as the upward movement is continued the weight medium is shifted forwardly under the influence of gravity to resume what is approximately the original position of carriage, such as is shown in FIG. 3.

If t e weight medium is, as is preferred, a liquid medium such as water, the utilization of baffles is desirable to prevent the undue sloshing and splashing which might occur within body 11 in the absence of the baffles. In order to insure that there is a free flow of such liquid weight medium forwardly and rearwardly in the various shifts of the device under various tilting positions, it is preferred that the baffles be perforated or provided with apertures 37 in order that the full flow forwardly and/ or rearwardly may be constituted as desired.

It will be understood as hereinabove suggested that while it is preferred that body 11 be provided with internal bafiles for the purpose of controlling and minimizing excess sloshing of the flow of a weight medium within body 11, the baffles may be removed, and particularly it is desired that they should be removed in the event that the fluid weight medium should be of finely comminuted solid substance such as sand or the like, or in the event that the weight should be a gravity-shiftable Weight medium in the nature of a ball or the like.

I claim:

l. A barrow-type exercising device comprising a hollow tank-like cylindrical body, a front wheel, a rear wheel, said wheels being carried by said body in foreand-aft alinement and positioned below said body to provide support for said body, said rear wheel being disposed with the rearmost part of its periphery forward of the rear end of said body, handle means detachably connected to said body adjacent the rear end of the body, said body at its rear end having a domed head rearward of the periphery of said rear wheel for protecting a user, a liquid weight medium contained within said body and shiftable under gravity responsive to tilt of said body to and from a normal position in which said weight medium is substantially evenly distributed, from and to a forwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the front of said body, to and from a rearwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the rear of said body, and a plurality of baffles fixed within said body and disposed perpendicularly to the lower part of the body for minimizing surging of said weight medium under shifting, said baflles being perforated for fiow of said weight medium therethrough.

2. A barrow-type exercising device comprising a hollow tank-like body, a front wheel, a rear wheel, said wheels being carried by said body in fore-and-aft alinemerit and positioned below said body to provide support for said body, said rear wheel being disposed with the rearmost part of its periphery forward of the rear end of said body, handle means detachably connected to said body adjacent the rear end of the body, said body at its rear end having a domed head rearward of the periphery of said rear wheel for protecting a user, a liquid weight medium contained within said body and shiftable under gravity responsive to tilt of said body to and from a normal position in which said weight medium is substantially evenly distributed from and to a forwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the front of'said body, to and from a rearwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the rear of said body, and a plurality of baffles fixed within said body and disposed perpendicularly to the lower part of the body for minimizing surging of said weight medium under shifting.

3. A barrow-type exercising device comprising a hollow tank-like body, a front wheel, a rear wheel, said wheels being carried by said body in fore-and-aft alinement and positioned below said body to provide support for said body, said rear wheel being disposed with the rearmost part of its periphery forward of the rear end of said body, handle means connected to said body adjacent the rear end of the body, a fluid weight medium contained within said body and shiftable under gravity responsive to tilt of said body to and from a normal position in which said weight medium is substantially evenly distributed, from and to a forwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the front of said body, to and from a ,reaiwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the rear of said body, and a plurality of bafiles fixed within said body and disposed perpendicularly to the lower part of the body for minimizing surging of said weight medium under shifting, said balfies being perforated for flow of said weight medium therethrough.

4. A barrow-type exercising device comprising a hollow tank-like body, a front wheel, a rear wheel, said wheels being carried by said body in fore-and-aft alinement and positioned below said body to provide support for said body, said rear wheel being disposed with the rearmost part of its periphery forward of the rear end of said body, handle means connected to said body adjacent the rear end of the body, a fluid weight medium contained within said body and shiftable under gravity re responsive to tilt of said body to and from a normal position in which said weigh-t medium is substantially evenly distributed, from and to a forwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the front of said body, to and from a rearwardly tilted position in which the bulk of said weight medium is shifted toward the rear of said body, and a plurality of baflles fixed within said body for minimizing surging of said weight medium under shifting.

5. In an exercising device, an elongated tank-like container, a weight medium contained and enclosed in said container against accidental user engagement, said weight medium being gravity shift-able from end to end of said container responsive to fore and aft tilt of said container a front Wheel, means connecting said front Wheel to said container, the periphery of said front wheel projecting forwardly beyond the front end of said container, at rear Wheel, means connecting said rear wheel to said container, said rear Wheel being positioned With the rearmost part of its periphery forward of the rear end of said container, said rear Wheel underlying and being disposed beneath said container, said front and rear Wheels being substantially alined along the fore and aft axis of said container, and handle means connected to said container and projecting rearwardly beyond the rear end of said container for manipulating container tilt and Weight medium shift.

6. A device in accordance with claim 5, in which said weight medium is fluid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,476 Burt Mar. 8, 1898 630,689 Gries Aug. 8, 1899 2,384,174 Jones Sept. 4, 1945 

